About the work
Alessandro nell'Indie is an opera seria in three acts by Leonardo Vinci to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. It premiered on 2 January 1730 at the Teatro delle Dame in Rome, again with an all-male cast. It was the first setting of what became Metastasio's second most popular libretto after Artaserse.
Plot
After defeating the Indian king Poro, Alexander the Great falls for Poro's betrothed, Queen Cleofide, provoking jealousy and despair in Poro. The traitor Timagene stirs further intrigue and plots an assassination attempt on Alexander. In the end Alexander proves a magnanimous victor: he restores Poro's kingdom, unites him with Cleofide, and rewards the loyal general Gandarte with the hand of Poro's sister Erissena.
Cultural significance
The libretto went on to be set to music roughly 90 times, including by Handel as Poro (1731) and by Hasse as Cleofide. Vinci's Roman premiere, cast with five countertenor roles, is among the most striking early settings of this story about a victor's clemency.